Chapter 243: Rising to a Higher Level

One hundred days is not a long time for cultivators who often possess lifespans of thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Even for someone like Ye Feng, who had only recently entered the cultivation world, one hundred days was merely enough time to take two pills and enter seclusion once. The idea of finding the remaining two keys within such a short period seemed utterly hopeless to Ye Feng. Fortunately, Fat was in charge of this task, leaving Ye Feng free for a hundred days. Now that his body and consciousness had largely merged, he naturally couldn’t stay idle. Although Ye Feng didn’t hold much hope for Fat’s efforts, he still accepted Fat’s proposal—after all, he didn’t have the extra energy to deal with these matters. Just dealing with that old fox, Dil, was already enough to drive one crazy.

“BOSS, Cassdio and I might go into seclusion for a few days. If everything goes well, we should be able to raise our strength to the Spirit Immortal level by then,” Lilith suddenly brought up.

“Do you have enough energy crystals to enhance your strength?” Ye Feng knew that the energy crystals used for cultivation couldn’t be replaced by spirit crystals, nor by immortal or demon crystals—they required the special energy crystals of their own realm.

“There’s no problem. We still have energy crystals stored in my ring and Cassdio’s. A lot of other things were damaged or discarded, but crystals are essential wherever we go, so we must carry them with us,” Lilith said with a smile. “Besides, the Flame Crystals from the Hell Volcanic Flame I use for cultivation aren’t easy to obtain, and the Light Crystals that can only be created from the Spring of Life that Cassdio needs are even rarer.”

“Our strength improvement is actually quite simple. As long as your strength grows, ours can keep recovering continuously until you reach the Spirit Immortal level. Only then will we return to our original Golden Immortal level, and the recovery will stop. After that, we’ll need to cultivate again to further improve our skills,” Cassdio explained.

“How long will it take you to reach the Spirit Immortal level?” Ye Feng pressed further.

“It only takes a couple of days; once enough energy is absorbed, recovery is possible,” Lilith said as if it were very simple. “This has nothing to do with level breakthroughs, because we already possess a cultivation level comparable to that of the Golden Immortals in the Immortal Realm. It’s just a simple recovery now. Previously, our strength couldn’t improve because we were injured when we fell into the Cultivation Realm and lost most of our energy. Most importantly, Satan tampered with the contract he signed with me, causing my cultivation level to stagnate at the lowest level…”

“It wasn’t exactly tampering; my contract was locked by God, which prevented me from improving my strength. Moreover, before falling into the Cultivation Realm, I also expended a great deal of energy and was injured, just like her.” Kastdio faced a situation similar to Lilith’s.

“I get it! So, the stronger I get, the stronger you two will become too!” Ye Feng nodded in understanding.

Fate, standing nearby, said gloomily, “If it weren’t for the limitations of this body, it would only take a couple of days for me to recover to my original strength!”

“Be content then. Your injuries have already fully recovered. The fact that you’re only wasting a little time training this body is already a great fortune in misfortune,” Lilith teased from the side.

“Then spend a few days in seclusion. This treasure trove must be dangerous as well. The stronger you become, the more leverage you have to survive. Moreover, you’ll be able to obtain more valuable things in the competition,” Ye Feng said with a smile. “If we include you two, there will be six of us with strength above the Spirit Immortal level, stronger even than those from the major sects.”

“Six people?” Lilith looked at Ye Feng curiously.

“If the Artificer Sect can’t get the key, Mengshan will definitely enter with us. Add Gu Nan and the rest of us, that makes six in total,” Ye Feng said, glancing at Gu Nan, seemingly not expecting him to refuse.

“Of course I’ll join! How can I not check out such a legendary treasure?” Gu Nan laughed. “Besides, if I don’t enter with you, other sects won’t waste a spot inviting an outsider like me. After all, one key can only invite up to ten people!”

“Lilith and the others, just focus on your seclusion! Leave the task of investigating the Witch Tribe’s stronghold to Fate. Contact me when he finds something!” Ye Feng said to Lilith and Kastdio. “I’m going back now! If anything happens, notify me directly so I can come over for a meeting, lest that guy Dil take advantage of the situation.”

“Don’t worry about that. Although I’ve never dealt with that guy before, I’ve been around in the Heavenly Realm for so many years that I’m not someone he can easily manipulate. As long as I’m around, he won’t dare touch Lilith and the others—probably because he’s wary of me too,” Fat said with a smile.
“That’s great.” Ye Feng nodded before disappearing from that spot.
After returning to his room, Bernard and Xiao Yu rushed over to greet him.
“Boss, we heard that treasure is about to be unlocked. Can you take us along?” Bernard asked eagerly, with Xiao Yu doing the same.
Although Ye Feng didn’t want to refuse, he couldn’t agree, as the two beasts might not be able to get out safely once they entered. “I really want to take you two along, but… your strength…”
“Boss, you must have some pills that can help us improve our strength!” Bernard said recklessly.
“Relying on pills isn’t good—it can lead to laziness in cultivation,” Ye Feng shook his head.
“We know it’s not good, but it’s only this once. We promise to cultivate on our own from now on. We really want to see what that treasure looks like!” The two beasts put on a pitiful look, making it hard for Ye Feng to refuse.
“Alright, but there’s no need for pills. I happen to have a way to help you two raise your ranks!” Ye Feng remembered he still had two unused privileges to raise ranks, which could be used to enhance the two beasts’ ranks.
“Raise ranks?!” Bernard couldn’t help but exclaim. Raising ranks wasn’t as simple as improving strength—it meant an improvement in essence.
Bernard was currently an elite spiritual beast. If he ascended to the Heavenly Realm, he would become an immortal beast, usually evolving based on his potential. Without enough potential, he might become a low-tier immortal beast after ascending, but with amazing potential, he could become an elite one. He himself didn’t know what tier of immortal beast he would become.
As for Xiao Yu, he was originally a wild beast, and it was unknown what level he would reach after further evolution.
“Boss, can raising ranks turn me into an elite immortal beast?” Bernard asked anxiously.
“I’m not sure about that. If you can become an elite immortal beast by cultivating on your own to ascend to the Immortal Realm, then this method should work too,” Ye Feng explained the rules he knew to the two beasts.
After hearing this, Xiao Yu let out a few cries, but Ye Feng still couldn’t understand their meaning.

Bernard beside him acted as the translator. “Xiaoyu is asking if ascending in rank means it can directly reach the Knight rank?”
“I’m not sure. If the rank right after the Soldier rank you mentioned is indeed the Knight rank, then it should be correct!” Ye Feng nodded. “But you need to understand that I can only help you raise your rank; your strength will then increase to meet the minimum requirements for that rank. If you, Xiaobei, become an immortal beast, your minimum strength will rise to the early stage of the Immortal level. Of course, after Xiaoyu’s rank is raised, his strength will also change accordingly,” Ye Feng explained. “Moreover, as far as I know, even so, you still won’t be able to avoid the heavenly calamity that arises when advancing from the Tribulation stage to the Mahayana stage.”
“Boss, are you saying there will be a heavenly calamity?” After hearing this, Bernard wasn’t very scared; instead, he was more excited.
“That’s right. Since your strength has risen to the early Immortal level, which means you’ve broken through the Tribulation stage, the heavenly calamity will definitely find you,” Ye Feng nodded. “I’m not sure if Xiaoyu will face a heavenly calamity, as his strength classification is different from ours. I don’t know if he’ll go through one. Anyway, you can’t escape!”
“Why is it so unfair?” Bernard complained in frustration.
“You don’t need to complain. By then, you’ll already be an immortal beast at the Immortal level. Dealing with the heavenly calamity that ordinary people face should not be a problem,” Ye Feng said with a smile. “Whether you accept the rank upgrade or not, the heavenly calamity is inevitable for you.”
“Alright! I accept!” Hearing Ye Feng say so, Bernard didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed to the rank upgrade.
Xiaoyu beside them also nodded.
“Then let’s get started!” Ye Feng acted right away. “Which of you two will go first?”
“I’ll go first!” Bernard stepped forward immediately.
“Okay, Xiaoyu, you watch over there for now. I’ll take care of him first, and then I’ll deal with you,” Ye Feng said to Xiaoyu.
Bernard stepped in front of Ye Feng and sat down on the ground.
Ye Feng stretched out his right hand and touched his forehead. “Use the Rank Upgrade Privilege.”
“Rank Upgrade Privilege: Effect – Raise the recipient’s rank by one level. Confirm usage?”
“Confirm!”
“Rank Upgrade Privilege used successfully. Recipient: Top-tier Spirit Beast. After the upgrade, it becomes a Top-tier Immortal Beast.”
“Remaining privilege count: 1”
When Ye Feng saw these words appear, he knew the upgrade had succeeded.

At this moment, Ye Feng also noticed that after those words appeared, Bernard, sitting in front of him, was changing rapidly as well. His originally shiny fur became even thicker and more lustrous; his claws gradually lengthened, and the teeth in his mouth became sharper… His once black eyes turned into glaring crimson, and an aura of violence emanated from his entire body…